The Paladin (27 page)

"Now, I know what you are thinking, Maggie. How could Larry have left you high and dry like this?"

Maggie froze.

"I sent the text to you, not your angel friend. I knew you would come running headlong into my little ambush. Yes, I know all about Larry and your little arrangement."

"But how?"

"I made a call to some friends of mine. Seems they know quite a bit about the Fallen One and his Paladin. A few carefully placed items around the property will ensure he doesn't come and ruin my plans."

It's OK, girl, stay frosty.
Larry or no Larry, I can still summon Kali. The minute Harold lets down his guard he will never know what hit him.

Harold leaned his Benelli against the house, causing Maggie to smile ever so slightly. Taking a large black cloth, he draped it over Kali. Maggie noticed that the cloth was embossed with a strange design in silver thread. To her shock, her connection to the enchanted knife was instantly severed. Harold picked up Kali and placed her into a wooden box.

"Can't have you coming to your mistress's rescue, now can I?" he said closing the lid.

"You know about Kali?" Maggie asked as the seriousness of her situation hit home.

"I know that I have taken away your options, Maggie," he said taking a knee next to her. "I have learned the hard way not to underestimate you. That stunt you pulled in the witch’s house almost killed me."

"What a shame it didn't."

Placing an arm around her shoulders, Harold leaned close to her ear.

"Now that I have your attention, I want you to listen carefully…"

38

"Why are you doing this?" asked Brenda, as she looked at her captor through the metal bars of her cell. "How can you work for that bastard, Beck? He is going kill everyone…doesn't that bother you?"

"Anyone tell you that you talk too much?" said Dana as she perused a magazine. "Be a good girl and all of this will be over soon."

Brenda looked past Dana to the ghost of her father, who was busy trying to look down Dana's blouse.

"Damn, she is fine," the reverend Mills exclaimed.

"This is insane!" exclaimed Brenda. "Instead of acting like a sicko, why can't you get me out of this?"

"What are you talking about?" said Danna looking up from an article on vitamins.

"Beyond my power, Brenda," he said. "I am not here to liberate you, but to get you to do the right thing before it is too late."

"What is the right thing?" Brenda asked.

"If this is some scheme to escape, it won't work, little girl," said Dana. "So calm down before I calm you down."

"You will find out when the time is right," he said cryptically. "And not before."

"Great," said Brenda plopping down on a short metal stool bolted to the floor.

Brenda chafed at the restraints that bound her wrists behind her back. A short nylon rope that anchored to the metal frame of the cage was knotted around her cuffs. It served to keep Brenda confined to one side of the eight-foot by eight-foot metal cage.

It was obvious to Brenda that she wasn't the first "guest" that Beck had entertained here in this chamber of horrors over the years. She was puzzled at the weird design etched deeply into the bare concrete floor beneath her feet. She had asked, but Dana refused to answer any questions. Little did she know that the design made the cage secure even against supernaturals.

Another fact she was ignorant of was that, without exception, all the previous guests were buried in shallow graves mere yards from the cabin.

"I can't go anywhere while you've got me locked up in this stupid cage, why do I have to be handcuffed as well?"

"It is a small price to pay for my piece of mind," said Dana, not looking up.

"Well, damn it, my nose itches! This basement is dusty and probably has mold. Not to mention, you smoke like a train."

Dana rolled her eyes and placed her magazine on the floor. Getting up from her chair, she approached the metal cage.

Shaking her head slightly, Dana poked her finger through the bars and rubbed Brenda's nose.

"Thanks," said Brenda.

"You can thank me by shutting the hell up," said Dana, returning to her chair.

I hope this plan of Harold's works.
Dana thought.
I am not cut out for babysitting.

Both women turned at the sound of heavy footsteps on the basement stairs.

Dana produced her Walther and took up a shooter's stance as the bolt on the heavy door was thrown open.

"Maggie, it's a trap!" Brenda screamed at the top of her lungs. "She has a gun, look out!

As the door burst open, Brenda groaned and tears filled her eyes.
We are so screwed.

Dana breathed a sigh of relief and returned the weapon to her holster as Harold White and his fuming prisoner entered the room.

"Look who I caught trying to sneak into the house," he said. Harold was beaming as he half-led, half-dragged Maggie into the basement.

"Harold, you did it!" exclaimed Dana. "Your plan worked!"

"Move your ass," Harold said, as he pulled Maggie forward.

Maggie tried to fight and twist free of his grip, but it was useless.

"I like a girl with spirit but face it, Maggie: it's over."

Maggie responded sharply, but her words were garbled by the black bandanna tied tightly between her teeth.

Dana looked at Maggie and smiled.

"Good work, Harold, but isn't the gag overkill? No one could possibly hear her down here."

"Yeah, you sadistic son of a bitch!" yelled Brenda."Untie it!"

"Not on your life," said Harold. "Dana, think about it. This woman single-handedly killed a shape shifter and Mrs. Anderson. Not to mention she entered the witch's stronghold, slipped by defenses that would have held off an army, and retrieved the Collamarr."

"What are you getting at?" asked Dana.

"I believe she is more than a mere woman, I think she is a witch herself."

Maggie's black hair flew wildly as she vehemently denied his allegations.

"Really?" asked Dana. "The Paladin, a white witch? It never occurred to me, but it makes does make perfect sense."

"Bullshit!" exclaimed Brenda. "She's no more of a witch than I am. Now take that thing out of her mouth; it's cruel!"

Maggie shook her head and grunted in agreement.

"Without her voice to cast a spell, she has no power," said Harold. "And besides, don't you think Brenda seems awfully anxious for us to remove the muzzle?"

"You have a point," said Dana turning and smiling at Brenda. "Better safe than sorry; the bitch stays gagged."

Maggie let loose a long string of garbled profanity aimed at Harold.

"You know, Maggie, if I didn't know better, I would think you didn't like me."

"Muzzled or not, I understood that," Dana said with a laugh.

"I'll lock her up with her friend," said Harold.

"Not so fast," said Dana. "Did you search her?"

"Yeah. Got her gun, cell, and car keys. She had some weird knife, but I left it upstairs."

"If Maggie is a witch, then she is too dangerous for us to take any chances, Harold."

Dana looked Maggie in the eye and said, "I am going to search you and you will cooperate fully or Harold here will shoot your friend, Brenda. Do you understand?"

Harold, in response, slipped free his Glock and pointed it at Brenda's head.

Swallowing hard, Maggie shook her head in assent.

Red-faced, Maggie stood while Dana did a systematic search from the top of her head to her toes.

"Damn, this is hot!" exclaimed the Right Reverend Mills. "And to think, I thought this was going to be a boring day!"

"Why won't you go away?" Brenda said.

"The only thing that would make this better, is if both of them were naked," Mills said as he smacked his lips. "Come on, you paranoid bitch. Don't half-ass this. Strip search her!"

"What a sick pervert," Brenda said in disgust. "Hell is too good for you!"

Dana looked at her sharply. "I get no pleasure from this, you self-righteous bitch! Another word from you and Maggie won't be the only one wearing a gag. You understand me?"

"Yeah," said Brenda. "I got you."

Dana pulled a small knife concealed in Maggie's belt and threw it at Harold.

"Good work searching her, Harold!"

"Shit," he said as he fumbled and dropped the small foldable switchblade. "How was I supposed to find that?"

After five minutes, two lock picks, and yet another knife, Dana was satisfied that Maggie was at last ready to join Brenda.

"Sometimes you are useless!" Dana spat at him. "OK, Harold,
now
you can lock her up."

"Come on," he said taking Maggie by the arm.

Harold unlocked the door to the cell and shoved Maggie inside. Taking a rope, he tethered her to the opposite side of the cage from Brenda.

"That should keep you out of trouble, witch," he said. As Harold locked the door behind him, Brenda and Maggie moved toward each other, but the ropes at their wrists kept them a good two feet apart.

"Did he hurt you, Maggie?"

Maggie shook her head no.

Harold stood triumphantly before the cage.

"I am going to say this once, so listen up," said Dana positioning herself at his side. "It's over. Help isn't coming and escape from that cell is impossible. What is going to happen is going to happen, so accept it. Sit there and behave and when the time comes, I promise it will be quick and painless. Get cute or cause me the slightness trouble and I swear to God when I am through, you will beg me to kill you.

As for you, Maggie, I am not going to take any chances with you. While that cage should nullify any magic that you can summon, if that gag comes out of your big mouth, Miss Mills here will be the one who suffers. I doubt you want to spend your last moments listening to her screams."

"Please, don't hurt us," said Brenda. "We will do whatever you say, won't we, Maggie?"

Reluctantly, Maggie shook her head yes.

To everyone's surprise, a gleaming tear rolled down Maggie's cheek.

"The mighty Paladin, humbled at last," Dana scoffed. "Looks like you weren’t so tough after all."

Blushing furiously, Maggie dropped her eyes.

"I think we should give Mr. Beck the good news," said Dana. "Come with me, Harold, we need to discuss a few things."

"What about them?"

Dana smiled.

"Those two aren’t going anywhere."

39

Dana and Harold closed the basement door and locked it behind them. As the deadbolt slid into place, Maggie gave Brenda a wink and pulled her right hand free from the rigged handcuff.

"What are you doing?" whispered Brenda. "You heard what that bitch said."

Maggie chuckled as she reached up and pulled the bandana down around her neck. Gingerly, she removed the soggy, carefully folded handkerchief from her mouth.

Working her jaw, she asked, "You OK, Brenda?"

"Yes, but what are we going to do, they are going to kill us!"

"Not today, Blondie. We are getting out of here," Maggie said as she unfolded the handkerchief. "Ta-da!"

Brenda gasped as Maggie revealed three keys hidden inside the gag.

"I don't believe it! You cried…I thought you had given up!"

"Harold said Dana mustn't suspect a thing, but that she was the paranoid type. It was my idea to do the whole witch and gag thing. I knew it was the last place that psycho bitch would look for a set of keys."

"And the tears…"

"Were the clincher. Dana thinks I am a broken woman, just as she was supposed to."

"Don't get me wrong, Maggie, I am thrilled, but why is Harold helping us?"

"Seems Harold has an agenda of his own," said Maggie as she removed the cuffs dangling from her wrist. "In the words of the Godfather: 'He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.'"

"I don't understand."

"Simple," Maggie said, as she removed Brenda's restraints. "Harold works for a coven of witches called the Black Circle. They want Mrs. Beck for themselves. His plan was to capture and use me as bait, knowing Beck could not resist coming to kill me personally. Harold said he needed an ally, so we struck a deal."

"Deal?"

"The deal was that in exchange for Kali and helping to convince Dana I was his prisoner he would arrange our escape."

"Why not just take Kali?"

"Not that easy. I had to willingly give Kali to him or she would turn and kill him first chance she got. He promised that Kali would be returned after Celeste was his."

"And you believed him?"

"The man had a 12-gauge stuck in my back and could have killed me anytime he wanted. I had no choice."

"Anything else?"

"I walk away, leaving Celeste to the mercy of Harold and the Black Circle."

"What about destruction of humanity?" said Brenda as Maggie eased open the door of the cage.

"He assured me that that was the last thing they wanted. Said that they wanted to study her, to learn her secrets."

"They are
witches
!" Brenda hissed. "They are up to no good!"

"Look here, Blondie, what do you want me to do?" asked Maggie jabbing her with a finger."If I had refused, we would both be stuck here waiting for Celeste to come and kill us. Do you want that?"

"No, of course not."

"Look, Brenda. We aren't going to die, the world is safe, and Silas doesn't have to sacrifice himself to open that damn Collamarr. Silas and I can be together and have a real life."

"Now I see the real reason you want to help Harold. Taking down Celeste and saving the world has taken a backseat to your love life."

"You go to Hell!"

"Will your boss be happy about your little deal?"

Brenda looked over at her father's specter. Mills crossed his arms, frowned, and shook his head no.

"He'll get over it," said Maggie. "Look, Brenda, unlike you, I haven't had my pick of any guy in town. I have been so damn lonely that I thought I would lose my mind! At long last, I have a chance at love with the man of my dreams. Hell yeah, I'm going for it."

"Are you kidding me? A real life?" asked Brenda. "You're in love with a dead man who is possessing his great grandson's body! This is crazy!"